Speech by Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development, at the launch of the Rail Corridor Request for Proposal awards exhibition at URA Centre Atrium [Speeches]
09 Nov 2015
Mr Desmond Lee,
Parliamentary colleague
Mr Ng Lang, CEO, URA
Fellow colleagues,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I’m very happy to join you today for the launch of this Rail Corridor exhibition.
A Connected Rail Corridor
For decades, the Rail Corridor served as a transportation line to carry goods and people to and from Singapore. It was a journey of many twists and turns, as those of you who were involved in the process would know, before we finally obtained this stretch of land back in 2011.
The Corridor has outlived its function as a rail line. But in many ways, we have a higher degree of connectivity than before, even though it is no longer a rail line. First, we now have a fully connected Corridor with more contiguous parcels of land, which offer better development opportunities for housing and other economic activities. In time to come, these developments will add to the diverse landscapes of homes, schools and industrial estates which are already along the Corridor today. Read more
Govt hopes to keep continuous rail corridor
By Grace Chua, The Straits Times, 28 Jul 2011.
The Government hopes to keep the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway land a continuous stretch as far as possible, said Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin in a meeting with the media yesterday.
Plans for the tract will be firmed up over the next two years, and details will be included in the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) 2013 land-use Master Plan, he added.
Referring to the 26km tract which stretches from Tanjong Pagar to Woodlands, he said: ‘I imagine there are stretches which we will keep, some we would develop in a way that makes sense, but the idea of it as a continuous stretch is something we would very much like to do.
‘It’s about keeping the spirit of it as much as the physical.’
Source: The Straits Times
A Green Opportunity
By National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, 9 Jul 2011 (this was posted on his blog).
I love greenery. In Sembawang, we did a lot to green up the place. In the new hospital in Yishun, we set out to build a “hospital in a garden†and we succeeded.
Seven weeks into MND, I have been flooded with emails and FB comments, 99% of them on housing, quite understandably.
But there were a few non-housing comments.
I got one from a medical school student, interested in the “preservation and continued development of Singapore’s urban cultureâ€. She referred me to the Green Corridor Project being proposed by the Nature Society, suggesting the possibilities that we could create after Malayan Railway moved its station from Tj Pagar to Woodlands. She referred me to the New York’s High Line project which was quite inspirational.
I too see a green opportunity in this development. Read more
Old KTM tracks to become “green spine”
By Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia, 9 Jul 2011.
The National Development Ministry is studying ways to retain the old KTM railway tracks as a green spine for nature and leisure.
The railway line running through Singapore was closed after the KTM train station at Tanjong Pagar moved to Woodlands on July 1.
Writing in his blog on Saturday, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said he sees a “green opportunity” for urban development that will not compromise the development potential of the lands surrounding the track.
He hopes Singaporeans will come forward with their ideas to “co-develop a workable and practical scheme”.
Source: Channel NewsAsia
MND mulling “Green Corridor” along KTM railway land
By Channel NewsAsia, 16 June 2011.
The possibility of a “Green Corridor” along the KTM railway is being seriously looked into.
Minister of State for National Development, BG Tan Chuan-Jin, posted on his Facebook page that the Urban Redevelopment Authority and National Parks Board are actively discussing the matter with the Nature Society Singapore (NSS).
Source: Channel NewsAsia
Our Green Home
By Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister of State for National Development, 15 Jun 2011 (this note was posted on his Facebook page).
“Home is where your friends are…where your family is.”
We have been having weekly brainstorming sessions at MND to study and discuss the issues facing us. We are moving on HDB challenges. We are re-looking at policies so that we can meet the needs of Singaporeans. These are unfolding and more will be shared when ready. We may not be able to meet all needs, but we can certainly do more than where we are today.
Looking at these issues have also sharpened my own sense about what home is for us. We are not really in the business of just building houses. It is about providing living space and common space amidst challenges that few countries face. I have always been struck by what Koon Hean, CEO HDB, shared about how there is little basis to compare us with Hong Kong, New York and other great cities. They are all part of a country whilst we are an entire country squeezed into slightly over 700+ square kilometres. Land is needed for: housing, recreation, industry, business, defence, catchment, heritage. Serious decisions are required. Trade-off is a bad word but that is what faces us all the time. Not easy. Few cities grapple with all these for they all invaribly have a hinterland to fall back on….we don’t. Read more
